10 of the Weakest Armies in The World

Countries largely depend on their armies to safeguard its citizens from other fighting forces. Unfortunately, this is not the case for some countries whose armies are ill-equipped, poorly trained, and perhaps unfed.

We Are The Mighty, a group of former and retired American soldiers, released a list of 10 of the worst military forces in the world.

Get to know if your country is ready to defend itself in battle.

#1. Costa Rica

This country definitely deserves the bottom spot as they have no armed forces to start with. Instead they have an Army of rich Westerners who come to teach Yoga to other Westerners visiting the country. Aside from Costa Rica, countries like Panama, Iceland, Monaco, Mauritius, and Vanuatu don’t have military service.

#2. Iraq

Under Saddam Hussein, Iraq used to have the 4th largest army in the world. Now, the Iraqi Army has only 26 units despite help from the US and UK forces as well as $26 billion in aid and investments. Moreover, about 50,000 ghost soldiers received paychecks but never really showed up for work. Last year, ISIS invaded most of Western Iraq thanks to the Iraqi troops who left before the Islamist attack.

#3. North Korea

Don’t let tall and strong-looking North Korean troops fool you! According to Blake Stilwell, most of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) troops are weak and used mainly for enlisted labor. Moreover, most units seemed to be lightly armed.

#4. Eritrea

Dubbed as “Africa’s North Korea”, Eritrea’s armed forces has the highest concentrations of enlisted men whom they use for forced labor instead of protecting its borders or fighting al-Shabab terrorists. At least 2,000 people in this country seek asylum in Sudan in a month.

#5. Nigeria

While Nigeria has the largest oil industry in Africa, its soldiers are ill-equipped. In fact, their armoured cars don’t even move. One soldier told BBC: “Imagine me and you are fighting, we both have guns but while you are wearing a bullet proof vest, I’m carrying an umbrella”.

#6. Philippines

The government allocated only $1.7 billion budget in its efforts to upgrade the ageing Philippine Navy and Air Force. The Philippine Congress passed a bill amounting to $2 billion and nothing more. Needless to say, the country won’t even stand a chance against Chinese forces who are currently claiming areas and building islands close to it. The Philippines’ Naval and Air Forces are nearly 60 years old and most of its ill-equipped ships are old U.S. Coast Guard cutters, thanks to the rampant corruption in its Department of National Defense.

#7. Tajikistan

With no native units to absorb its new independent government, the Tajik Army is obviously a mess. When they formed their own army in 1994, it resulted in a Civil War. Now, Tajiks favor Russian Army because the pay is better. But those who get drafted are often abducted and sometimes beaten to death.

#8. Mongolia

A country trapped between Russia and China definitely needs a powerful military. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for Mongolia whose only expertise is teaching the US troops how to identify and “use” jurassic Soviet-built arms and equipment.

#9. Saudi Arabia

The odds are in their favor as they have air and naval superiority, superior material, training as well as numbers on the ground. Surprisingly, their operation in Yemen with the United Arab Emirates is a total failure. They can’t seem to banish Houthi tribesmen from Sana’a and reestablish the Sunni rulers.

#10. Afghanistan

If the US ever leaves Afghanistan, its armed forces will most likely collapse despite decades of training from ISAF advisors. Speaking to al-Jazeera, one advisor revealed: “In fact, talk to any coalition troops on the ground and they will tell you the Afghans can fight, but only after they have been fed, clothed, armed and delivered to the battlefield by NATO.”